Shloka 103
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
एते पाषण्डिनः पापा न ह्य् एतान् आलपेद् बुधः पुण्यं नश्यति संभाषाद् एतेषां तद्दिनोद्भवम्
ete pāṣaṇḍinaḥ pāpā na hy etān ālaped budhaḥ puṇyaṃ naśyati saṃbhāṣād eteṣāṃ taddinodbhavam
These are sinful heretics; therefore a wise person should not even speak with them. For by conversing with such people, one’s merit is destroyed—merit accumulated and ripened from that very day’s righteous conduct.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Concept: Saṅga (association) with pāṣaṇḍins is portrayed as spiritually contaminating, capable of destroying puṇya even through mere conversation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Choose satsanga deliberately; limit intimate discourse with those who mock dharma, and anchor daily conduct in purity of speech and company.
Vishishtadvaita: Implicitly supports the Vishnu-centered dharma of purity as a means to preserve the soul’s fitness for grace; company affects the jīva’s dispositions (saṃskāras) within the Lord’s moral order.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse treats conversation itself as a form of association that can erode one’s puṇya; it urges guarding spiritual progress by avoiding harmful ideological and moral company.
Parāśara states that mere saṃbhāṣā (conversing) with such people causes puṇya to perish, even the merit ‘born of that day’—implying immediate spiritual damage rather than a distant consequence.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching supports Vaishnava dharma: preserving purity of mind and conduct so devotion and righteous living remain aligned with the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu.